Primetime Players win Tag Team Turmoil:
WHAT I LIKED: - I really do LIKE the concept of this match. It's basically a Tag Team Royal Rumble and that's my absolute favorite match. I wish WWE had put more forethought into it, perhaps having this match a couple weeks ago and then actually building a bit of a rivalry between the two teams, but I'll take what I can get.
- Thankfully, they got 3MB out of the way early. They were nobody's favorite to win this match. In fact, I'm glad that Tons of Funk were out second because there's no way they last until the end. This way, two of the three most talented Tag Teams will be the final matchup. And after that, I don't much care who wins - although, I do have my favorites.
WHAT I HATED:
- I was hoping that Primetime Players weren't the final team to enter the match since they are the favorites to win. I wanted them to do the majority of the work in the match, proving that they were deserving of the Tag Title match. But instead, WWE did what it usually does in these situations and makes the favorite come out last. It sullies their victory in my opinion, because they were fresh and capitalized off of the work done by the previous teams.
REACTION: I made an error in the preview and said that there were only two babyface teams in this match, completely ignoring Tons of Funk. I don't apologize for that goof, as I wish everyone would start ignoring Tons of Funk. I think everyone knew that the Primetime Players would win this match, so there is no surprise. I only wonder if they'd be in the position they are in now had Darren Young not come out as homosexual. I'm glad that he did for his own personal reason and because I support equality for everyone, but I'm a little miffed about the implications it had on his professional career. I don't think it's fair to anyone else in the locker room for him to receive the push he is based solely on that. And yes, it is only because of that because he hadn't done anything else to justify his push. But all of that is irrelevant. I'm looking forward to the Tag Team Title match later tonight.
Kofi Kingston def. Curtis Axel, winning the Intercontinental Championship:
WHAT I LIKED:
- I am glad to have a match on the card where I actually believe a title to be in jeopardy of switching hands. None of the other championship titles seem to be in danger, but I could be wrong. I actually hope I'm wrong, but that depends of the title in question.
- Regardless of how it came to be, this was a very competitive match to start the PPV off right. I had no idea who would win because I could honestly see either of these guys winning the match and the Intercontinental Championship.
WHAT I HATED: -
"The first person I come across" just happens to be Kofi Kingston... the man who defeated Curtis Axel a few weeks ago... and just so happens to inexplicably be on the Night of Champions poster holding the Intercontinental Championship up in victory. Foreshadowing much?
- This match only lessens the already doused excitement that I had for the Handicap Elimination match later tonight. Now Curtis Axel will be even less of a threat to defeat CM Punk and it's even more of a guarantee that Punk will get past him and onto Paul Heyman. I know he would anyway, but I do want some competition. Punk is [arguably] the best wrestler in the world - that's what he does best and that's what I want to see him do. I don't care about him getting his hands on Heyman. If he were the best retributionist in the world, that'd be a different story.
REACTION:
I'm no fan of impromptu PPV matches. Yes, you're technically giving the fans more than they paid for. But PPV matches are supposed to be premeditated culminations of existing rivalries. Having improvised matches on PPVs make it seem like this is just another episode of RAW. Once you get past the spontaneity though, you have no choice but to try and enjoy it, which I did. Both Kingston and Axel are young talents who could have some amazing matches if given the opportunity. I would hope that going forward that's exactly what would happen, but I can't bank on that.
AJ Lee wins Fatal 4-Way and retains Divas Championship:
WHAT I LIKED:
- Naomi took quite a few bumps in this match and I LIKE it a lot. I do see her as a future Divas Champion, but she's to easily seen as a valet right now. Taking these bumps are good for her as he makes the transition into being an actual wrestler. And I, for one, can't wait until she does.
- I LIKE that all the Total Divas ganged up on AJ Lee to start the match. It made sense to do so because she's the common enemy. It also made sense for Brie Bella to be the one to turn on the the others because she's still a heel, even though she had legitimate beef with AJ Lee and she was dressed in bright colors. What was up with that outfit?
WHAT I HATED:
- The Double Sharpshooter was a neat little move to pull off, but not at the expense of officiating. JBL was screaming about how Brie Bella was technically pinning Naomi for a least a full minute and the referee did nothing about it. I know he was within earshot of JBL. That was ridiculous. Maybe even worse than the other botched sharpshooter spot from RAW a few weeks ago. At least that was an honest mistake. This was deliberate.
REACTION:
I'm a little surprised that it was Natalya who took the losing submission because she's the diva who could benefit most from not being made to submit - being a submission artist herself. No, screw that. I'm pissed that it was Natalya who was made to submit. She's the most championship ready diva on the roster and she has to take the loss? It wouldn't hurt Naomi or Brie Bella one iota to tap out. But it does hurt Natalya because she's supposed to be an actual threat to AJ Lee and the Divas Championship.
Rob Van Dam def. Alberto Del Rio via DQ, Del Rio retains the World Heavyweight Championship:
WHAT I LIKED:
- I LIKED Alberto Del Rio's choice of color scheme for tonight. The silver and gold wardrobe fits into the championship color theme of the night. Meanwhile, Ricardo Rodriguez still wore the same tired RVD shirt as always.
- Some people will probably complain about the way this match ended, but I actually LIKED the disqualification finish. Not necessarily the DQ, but for Del Rio to hold the submission in past the five-count of the referee. It's been a while since I've seen somebody do that and it's such a perfect heel move that I'm surprised no one has.
WHAT I HATED:
- I thought Ricardo Rodriguez was banned from ringside after losing to Alberto Del Rio on Smackdown? I guess WWE changed their minds. It shouldn't matter because that stipulation should never have come into play anyway, but it did and WWE needs to stick to their guns.
- In a night where championships are the emphasis, I think the second most prestigious championship in the company should be treated as such. Having it be in the middle of the PPV doesn't make it seem very important.
REACTION:
I'm not supposed to enjoy the post-match more than I do the match itself, but I think I did. It's also been a while since we've seen the Van-Terminator and it was fun to watch. Don't get me wrong, I did LIKE the match but it was pretty slow-paced considering the talent involved. RVD and ADR don't really matchup well because Del Rio is a technician and it's difficult to mat-wrestle a high-flyer like RVD. The match tonight was as dull as their rivalry has been. That spot after the match is the highlight of what has been an otherwise tedious storyline.
Fandango def. The Miz:
REACTION:
I would bemoan about this impromptu match not being worthy of the PPV, but honestly this rivalry has been built up better than some of the championship matches on the card tonight. Sure, its been through dance-offs and cut-ins, but at least some effort went into it. - I can't review this match too much because my stream crapped out on me during it and I only saw the first two minutes and last two minutes of it. And even that was two minutes too many.
Paul Heyman def. CM Punk:
WHAT I LIKED:
- The only reason I'm sitting though this match is so that I can see what trick Paul Heyman has up his sleeve because there has to be one. Check that. There better be one. The No DQ rule added to this match is somewhat patronizing to us as fans. On one hand, it was pretty ingenious of Heyman to play Brad Maddox like a fiddle, adding the no-DQ stipulation to the match. On the other hand, we all know why it was added - so that whatever Heyman does have planned, he can get away with it. Plus, the no-DQ stipulation makes an otherwise predictable match more exciting.
- Curtis Axel stayed in the match for about 15 minutes before being eliminated and that's about 10 minutes longer than I figured he would. It's only because of the No Disqualification stipulation that he believably remained in a match with CM Punk for as long as he did. So kudos for that. And his match with Punk was more fun and competitive than I thought it would be.
WHAT I HATED:
- I may be the only person in the WWE Universe who doesn't want to see Paul Heyman get what's coming to him because I didn't enjoy seeing Punk destroy him at all. I kept looking for Brock Lesnar or somebody to come down and help Heyman. I wasn't expecting that person to be Ryback, though. I don't think they could have picked a worse person to help Paul Heyman, but I am glad there was some payoff.
REACTION:
WWE cannot book Ryback for shit. First, they book him like Goldberg - leading to the 'Goldberg' chants you hear every night. Then they book him to face CM Punk in the midst of Punk's epic 434-day WWE Championship reign, which meant multiple losses for the big guy. After that fails miserably, he's turned heel and immediately gets booked to face John Cena, who can't be defeated by anyone. I thought this bully mentality he's adopted would have him run roughshod through some of the smaller superstars before making his way back to the main-event, but the first superstar he's actually booked to have a rivalry with is arguably the strongest babyface left in the company - CM Punk. Punk would probably job to Ryback more than Cena did, but he's still gonna be booked to win in the end. I don't really care because I'm not a Ryback fan, but it's still disheartening to see. I'm just glad that Heyman had an ace in the hole. I wonder if they'll make it to where Ryback interfered on his own because I could see this being somewhat of a betrayal to Curtis Axel. They'll probably go the route of Ryback stopping Punk on his own volition, because he was bullying Paul Heyman.
Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler, retaining the United States Championship:
WHAT I LIKED:
- It doesn't necessarily mean anything that Dean Ambrose is out by himself, but I LIKE it so far. The Shield don't exactly have to play by the rules, given their place in the Administration, but it'd be great if they did tonight. The placement of this match suggests that Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will interfere. Because after they do, their Tag Team Title defense would be next and WWE could just transition from one match to the next easily. I hope that doesn't happen because I want this match to be pure. And I really want it to be a pure win for Dean Ambrose.
REACTION:
Wow. Usually when I want something, I don't get it. I did tonight. That was a clean win for Dean Ambrose over former two-time World Champion Dolph Ziggler. That speaks volumes for how WWE views Dean Ambrose and suggests that he'll still be a big player in WWE after the inevitable end of The Shield. I don't think it means too much for Dolph Ziggler. He has some fighting to do before he gets to World Championship contention again, but I know he can do it. The loss isn't great for him, but it was the right thing to do.
The Shield def. Primetime Players, retaining the Tag Team Championships:
WHAT I LIKED:
- I didn't see what happened to Dean Ambrose after the US Title match ended, but given how he won a clean match, I'm certain Rollins & Reigns will do the same.
WHAT I HATED:
- That was a weird finish. The timing was off and there was no reason for the referee to be checking on Darren Young, since he was knocked down outside of the ring. Did he roll into the ring just to stay on the ground and be checked on by the referee? If so, that does his tag team partner no favors.
REACTION:
The Shield win in a clean sweep. I wonder which title will be first to be lost by them. Probably the Tag Team Titles, because I think WWE is trying to find a way to get those titles to
Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton, winning the WWE Championship:
WHAT I LIKED:
- Whenever I watch a Randy Orton match, especially one on PPV, I always think about where that RKO-from-nowhere will come from. My best guess is when Daniel Bryan does that backflip from the top rope. That is prime position for an RKO. Even though hitting that would possibly lead to Bryan losing, I want to see it.
- I don't know if I've ever seen a second referee immediately come out to the ring after a ref bump eliminates the first referee. I thought for sure that this was when someone would interfere, but no. That was actually nice to see. Since WWE Championship matches are so important now, they need to always have a backup referee queued up since those bumps happen so often. The precedent has been set.
WHAT I HATED:
- Is it just me or does Triple H's proclamation that no one will interfere in this match all but ensure that someone will guarantee in this match? I mean, why else bring it up? I don't think too many people are expecting The Shield to interfere, especially since they had their own matches to attend to. And having Randy Orton find Triple H backstage and basically plead for help is so unlike the Orton we've been lead to believe he is for the past few years. This is more like the Orton from Legacy, who needs assistance to win matches. Somehow as soon as he became heel, he lost all of his mojo. Just another example of WWE booking heels to look weak, even the WWE Champion.
REACTION:
Whoa! Was that a fast count by Scott Armstrong? Upon watching the replay, it was a faster count than normal, but it wasn't necessarily the fast count we're used to seeing. It didn't matter anyway because Orton didn't get up after that knee anyway. I expected some type of recourse from Triple H like a restart or stripping Daniel Bryan, but nothing happened. It was a clean win over Randy Orton, just like it was over John Cena. And here I was fully expecting Big Show to lend a hand, so to speak. Regardless, that was yet another good match by the now two-time WWE Champion Daniel Bryan.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"If Daniel Bryan wins, will Triple H walk down here and tell him that he's now the face of the company?" - Michael Cole
"He would have to." - JBL
It would seem we're going to find out tomorrow night. But somehow, I get that feeling that won't happen.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT:
None of the matches tonight brought me to the edge of my seat. I was expecting more than I got out of all of them. The best match of the night was Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton, but we knew that going in. I was hoping one of the mid-card matches would dethrone the WWE Championship. Not tonight.
BEST IN SHOW:
I've railed against Curtis Axel during this entire rivalry with CM Punk because I looked at him as a lesser talent than Punk. And he is. No question about that. But tonight, Axel proved to me that he's not too much lower than Punk is. He wrestled not just two matches tonight, but two completely different matches and looked good in both of them. His effort definitely won me over.
OVERALL REACTION:
Everything went according to plan until the end of the PPV. I know that I nor none of my fellow IWC prognosticators saw this coming. Every blog or podcast I read or listened to predicted that all the champions will retain. Now, looking back I realize that having every single champion retain their titles would have been bad. I mean, why have a PPV with every championship on the line if none of those titles are lost? It would be for naught. I figured that Randy Orton would reign supreme over WWE for a few months alongside Triple H and Stephanie McMahon until finally being knocked off their high horse. I LOVE that that's not going to happen. Now I don't know (or think I know) where WWE is headed with this storyline, which is great for me. I LIKE being surprised.
I said in the PPV Preview that I was willing to sit through 2.5 hours of lesser entertainment just to watch the WWE Championship match and for the most part I did just that. The WWE Championship match was obviously the most important part of the PPV, but I underestimated the rest of it. CM Punk made his match with Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman more interesting than I thought it would be. Axel also had a good match with Kofi Kingston. The rest of the matches on the card were easily forgettable, but I still enjoyed this PPV. I'm anticipating RAW tomorrow night so we can see the fallout of Daniel Bryan's title win and how Punk vs Ryback will play out.
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